Raspberry Pi Ghost Setup with Docker

What is Ghost?

Ghost is a modern, open-source platform for creating and managing a blog or publication. Known for its minimal design and powerful editing features, Ghost offers a smooth, fast writing experience. It’s an excellent choice for those looking to set up a clean and performant blog.

Why Use Docker on a Raspberry Pi?

Using Docker simplifies application management and provides:

1. Quick setup: Easily deploy Ghost and its dependencies.
2. Modularity: Run Ghost and its database in separate, managed containers.
3. Portability: Move and scale the setup without reconfiguring everything.

Prerequisites

To set up Ghost, you’ll need:

1. A Raspberry Pi (preferably Raspberry Pi 4).
2. Raspbian OS (or a variant of Raspberry Pi OS).
3. An internet connection.
4. Docker and Docker Compose installed on the Raspberry Pi.

Installing Docker on the Raspberry Pi

Step 1: Install Docker

If you haven’t installed Docker yet, do so with the following command:

curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Reboot the Raspberry Pi to complete the installation:

sudo reboot

Step 2: Install Docker Compose

Docker Compose is needed to run Ghost with its database. Install it using:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-compose

Creating a Docker Compose File for Ghost

Step 1: Set Up a Working Directory

Navigate to a preferred directory and create a new folder for Ghost:

mkdir ghost-docker && cd ghost-docker

Step 2: Create a docker-compose.yml File

Create a docker-compose.yml file in this folder with the following content:

version: '3.3'

services:
  ghost:
    image: ghost:latest
    ports:
      - "2368:2368"
    environment:
      database__client: sqlite3
      database__connection__filename: "/var/lib/ghost/content/data/ghost.db"
      url: http://<Raspberry_Pi_IP>:2368
    volumes:
      - ghost_data:/var/lib/ghost/content
    restart: always

volumes:
  ghost_data:

Replace <Raspberry_Pi_IP> with your Raspberry Pi’s IP address.

Starting the Ghost Container

To launch the Ghost blog, run:

sudo docker-compose up -d

This will download the Ghost image and start the container in detached mode.

Accessing Your Ghost Blog

Once the container is up, access your blog by entering your Raspberry Pi’s IP and port 2368 in a browser, like http://<Raspberry_Pi_IP>:2368. You’ll be directed to the Ghost setup page.

Follow the instructions to configure your Ghost blog.

Managing Docker Containers

Stopping the Ghost Container

To stop the Ghost container, use:

sudo docker-compose down

This will stop and remove the container, while preserving data in the ghost_data volume.

Starting the Container Again

To start Ghost again, run:

sudo docker-compose up -d

Conclusion

With Docker, hosting Ghost on a Raspberry Pi becomes a straightforward task. You can now run a lightweight, efficient blog on this small but powerful platform.